Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has called for a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s electoral framework to enhance transparency, fairness, and accountability in the conduct of elections.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Dickson emphasized that it is time to make the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) more accountable for its actions and decisions.
The lawmaker, who serves on the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, noted that it is unreasonable to expect political candidates to prove electoral irregularities when the necessary evidence is under the sole control of INEC.
He stressed that elections should be a time for national unity and celebration, not violence and manipulation.
“Elections should be moments where we rediscover ourselves as a nation and celebrate what is best about us — not moments where people kill, maim, or fabricate figures to claim victory without the people’s mandate,” he said.
Dickson disclosed that one of the major proposals currently under discussion in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act is to shift the burden of proof in election disputes from candidates and political parties to INEC itself.
“The burden of proof in electoral matters must shift to INEC. That is where it rightly and properly belongs. We should not subject it to the normal evidential rule that says ‘he who alleges must prove,’” he added.
The former governor reiterated his belief that electoral reforms are essential to strengthening democracy and restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s political process.
